Facebook bans 'social suicide' app Social Roulette

Facebook has blocked an app that offered users a one in six chance of deleting their entire account. Known as Social Roulette, the app was designed to mimic Russian Roulette where a single bullet is loaded into the cylinder of a revolver and well, you know the rest.

A description on the website for Social Routlette said the app may appeal to someone looking to start fresh or perhaps someone looking for a cheap thrill at the expense of their social network. The developer noted that everyone thinks about deleting their account at some point and that it is a completely normal reaction to the overwhelming nature of digital culture.

The app’s developer said it was flagged by an automated system from Facebook that deals with negative user experiences. The social network, on the other hand, said the app violated its platform policies.

What policies it violated, however, are a bit sketchy but as some suggest, Facebook sometimes enforces the spirit of the law rather than how it’s written word for word. Eden Zoller from research firm Ovum, however, noted that existing platform policy includes the ability to ban apps that pose a competitive risk to Facebook. Naturally, Facebook wouldn’t want people to delete their profile but if they did, they’d prefer people do it on their own accord.

The app points out that deleting a Facebook account entirely is very difficult but it could successfully remove all posts, apps, friends, photos, likes and games before deactivating the account.